Marble Mountain in Da Nang is a cluster of five craggy marble outcrops made from limestone and marble and topped with pagodas. Marble Mountain is named after the elements metal, wood, water, fire and earth. There are also a host of Buddhist sanctuaries and places of worship dotted across these mountains

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Overlooking China beach

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It is just off the China Beach coastal road and easy to get to from Da Nang or Hội An where we were staying

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We went there as part of our private tour with our tour guide Andy who gave us lots of good information regarding the mountain and its sights and views. There is a $1 entrance fee to Marble Mountain and an additional $1 cost for entrance to the cave at the foot of the mountains which were included in our entire tour cost. We took the elevator up from the road, but it doesn’t take you to the top as you might expect so there was still more walking to get to the top from the elevator.

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We were amazed and pleased to spend a couple of hours in a place that we thought was a mere tourist destination. These five marble outcrops rising strangely from the flat landscape have long attracted different religions like Buddhism which is apparent in the many beautiful Buddha statues and pagodas along the way.

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It’s quite fantastic. And challenging to climb the steep steps carved out of the rocks, and negotiate our way through some rather scary caves.

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Some of these climbs are quite risky, and there were a couple that I decided not to tackle. But that was fine as I found beautiful areas to sit, take in the views, admire the magnificent statues and sculptures and take photos of the lovely gardens.

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The stairs down from the mountain back to the road below were very extreme. I really struggled with their steepness and uneven surface. I took my time, concentrated and held on to anything I could while maneuvering my way down so I made it safely. But, just be careful. It was very scary.

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It is good to start early when it is not so hot If you have the time, I suggest allowing a few hours exploring all of Marble Mountain. Also, I recommend wearing good shoes as parts of the climb are tricky and poor footwear could result in injury. Don’t make our mistake of under-estimating the physical difficulty

We found it useful to have a guide who was able to tell us more about the history and help us through some tricky parts.

Our visit to Marble Mountain was a high-light of our trip to Da Nang. The caves are magnificent and the views are breathtaking!

Pattaya is a city in Thailand, a beach resort popular with tourists and expatriates. It is located on the east coast of the Gulf of Thailand, about 100 kilometres southeast of Bangkok.

We flew into Bangkok and then hired a driver to take us to Pattaya which only took about an hour and a half.

Pattaya is definitely a great place for water sports and sunshine activities.

Pattaya is probably not for everyone. We stayed in the heart of the city in Road #10 however I would prefer to have stayed out of the city. I have friends who stayed in an apartment out from the busy area and they loved it. We had dinner one night at the Sugar Hut resort which is a not in the heart of all the noise and crowds and definitely a place that I would rather stay at.

Not far from the centre of Pattaya, on a nearby hill is located the famous shrine of big Buddha. It is within walking distance, but we went by taxi.

To me this was one of the best attractions in Pattaya. The view was gorgeous and the Buddha was pretty amazing. The area of ​​the temple spreads a feeling of peace and harmony, a long flight of steps accompanied on both side by two longs dragons. At the top of the stairs is the huge statue of Buddha surrounded by dozens of other smaller statues.

Walking Street – now this is an eye opener. Really, it is not much by day. Just a long road with bars, restaurants, shops, girlie shows, girl/boy shows, sex shops etc.. But by night,it is closed to traffic. This is where everyone comes. It is quite safe as there are police patrolling.

One evening, we started off at a wonderful seafood restaurant called The Lobster Pot. A great restaurant with stunning views and the meals were superb. After dinner, take a walk along this street. If you feel like dancing or entertainment it is all there. Just people watching from a comfortable bar is pretty awesome also. It’s fun, crazy and entertaining.

My favourite shopping mall here is Central Festival. It has a wonderful food court on the bottom level and then many levels of shopping. Great clothes, handbags, shoes, etc. If you are looking for brand label clothes then this is the place, if you are after inexpensive items then best go to the markets in the streets. There are plenty of coffee shops and international cuisine restaurants

Central Festival is a great place to escape to from the intense heat and you could easily spend many hours here. It is about 10 levels high with escalators and elevators.

One evening we took the 5 minute taxi ride to the Sugar Hut resort for dinner. I loved this place.

It’s only 5 minutes from the main drag but it feels like its own island of lush jungle and manicured gardens. Down the long tree lined driveway, past the main swimming pool and there it was, the restaurant. There are two traditional Thai-style teak houses with dining tables and chairs, and one pavilion where diners sit on cushions on the teak floor and dine off a low table. All the dishes were good. Whenever we needed anything, we were asked to ring a small bell placed on our dining table.

The traditional Thai atmosphere complemented the Thai cuisine very well. Cloistered in the resort’s expansive, landscaped grounds away from lively Pattaya, we had a memorable and very relaxing dining experience.

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